The Supreme Court of Russia

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is the highest court for civil, criminal, administrative and commercial cases. Since 2014 it has also absorbed the former Supreme Arbitrazh Court, so economic disputes between companies now reach the same top court as family or criminal matters. It reviews lower court decisions in cassation and supervision and shapes practice through explanations of its Plenum.

For a person abroad, the Supreme Court is usually the last domestic stage of a dispute and the main source of authoritative interpretation of Russian law.

Judicial Collegiums and Their Fields

The Court works through specialised collegiums. Each hears cassation complaints in its own area.

There are also an Appellate Collegium, which hears appeals against the Court's own first-instance decisions, and a Disciplinary Collegium dealing with judges' liability.

The Plenum and the Presidium

The Plenum brings together all judges of the Court. Its main output is resolutions that explain how courts should apply specific laws. These resolutions cover topics such as court costs, inheritance, contract interpretation and liability for damages.

The Presidium is a smaller body. It hears supervisory complaints, approves periodic reviews of judicial practice and addresses organisational questions.

Cassation and Supervisory Review

Since the 2019 reform, most complaints first go to one of the regional cassation courts of general jurisdiction. Only after that can a party file a second cassation complaint with the Supreme Court. In commercial cases the complaint goes to the Economic Collegium after the district arbitrazh court.

A single judge reviews each complaint and decides whether to refer it to a hearing of the collegium. Most complaints are refused at this stage. The Court looks for significant violations of substantive or procedural law that affected the outcome. Supervisory review by the Presidium is an exceptional remedy for issues of uniform practice.

How the Court Guides Lower Courts

Plenum resolutions are not formally statutes, but lower courts follow them in practice, and a judgment that ignores them is vulnerable on appeal. Reviews of judicial practice summarise typical errors and correct approaches in particular categories of cases.

Rulings of the collegiums in individual cases also matter. Lawyers cite them to show how the Court resolved a similar question, and they often signal a change in approach before a formal resolution appears.

Deadlines for Reaching the Court

For civil cases a cassation complaint to the Supreme Court is due within three months after the challenged act entered into force. In commercial cases the period is two months.

A missed deadline may be restored only for valid reasons, which must be documented.

Filing and Tracking a Complaint

The complaint is filed in Russian, on paper or electronically, with copies of all lower court decisions.

Decisions, hearing schedules and Plenum resolutions are published on vsrf.ru.

Preparing a Cassation Argument

A complaint to the Supreme Court is not a new trial. It must show a clear legal error and relies on Plenum positions and earlier collegium rulings.

Attorney Elena Petrova analyses whether a case has grounds for cassation, prepares the complaint and keeps clients in California informed in English at every step.

The main channel of communication with the attorney is email: attorneypetrova1@gmail.com.